Latest news with #AzizZiriat
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
'Heartbroken' family of British hiker, 36, pay tribute after his body was found in rocky crevice just metres from friend in the Italian mountains
The family of a British hiker who died with his friend in the Dolomites have revealed their 'heartbreak' after his body was found. Aziz Ziriat, 36, and Samuel Harris, 35, were hiking in the Italian mountains when they vanished on New Year's Day without a trace, sparking a major search operation. On Saturday, Mr Ziriat's body was discovered in a rocky crevice about 400-metres below where Mr Harris' body was found almost five months earlier. His grieving family said: 'Whilst we are relieved to have finally found him, there are no words to describe how heartbroken we are to lose our beloved Aziz.' His relatives added the past few months had been 'incredibly difficult for everyone who knew and loved him'. 'But we have been comforted by the overwhelming love we have received - we will be eternally grateful for everyone's support,' they added. Mr Harris was found dead just over a week after he went missing, with his body covered under deep layers of snow. A phone, card, and glasses belonging to Mr Ziriat were all discovered close to Mr Harris' body, but there was no sign of him then. Aziz Ziriat (left), 36, and his friend Samuel Harris (right), 35, both from London, were hiking in the Dolomites in northern Italy when they vanished without a trace Paying tribute to his 'optimism, good humour and humility', Mr Ziriat's family added: 'Being with Aziz was to witness his deep connection with and appreciation of life. 'He lived every moment with optimism, good humour and humility; he was, and still is, loved by so many.' In a video to friends before they vanished, the pair had detailed plans to scale a 3,000-metre mountain on January 1. But their family and friends became concerned when the two explorers missed their flights back to Britain on January 6 and alerted Italian authorities, who launched an urgent search, which were hampered by heavy snow and strong winds. The last known location of Mr Ziriat, who worked for Crystal Palace's Palace for Life foundation, and Mr Harris was close to a hut called Casina Dosson, which is near the town of Tione Di Trento, near Riva del Garda, on Lake Garda. Rescuers on a helicopter search tragically confirmed Mr Harris's body was found 'buried under the snow' at around 2,600m on January 8. Italy's alpine rescue service said ground teams found his body at the base of the Care Alto peak and suggested he may have fallen from rocks above the spot. The rescue teams had been searching the area after tracking a 'phone of one of the two mountaineers'. Following the discovery of Mr Harris's body at 1pm, rescuers and sniffer dogs continued searching for his hiking partner until 1.30pm, when the hunt was called off due to worsening wind and fog. An investigation is under way into the circumstances of the incident, a spokesperson said at the time. Rescuers are pictured on a mountain after the body of Sam Harris was located in the Dolomites Earlier that day, rescuers said the men's backpacks and equipment were found during a search of a bivouac hut they are believed to have taken refuge in. The discovery of Mr Harris's body came just hours after Mr Ziriat's girlfriend, Bex Dimmock, said their disappearance 'just doesn't make sense'. Breaking down in tears on Good Morning Britain, Ms Dimmock said: 'There's just so many different possibilities and scenarios, that's the hardest thing. It doesn't make sense and we don't know what decisions they have made.' She added: 'They are really experienced, they have been to some really harsh conditions. 'This trip, they had a plan to go hut to hut and if the weather permitted they would sleep outside. 'They did have a nice route planned where they would end up in Lake Garda and have some time in that town before coming back.' In a separate interview with the BBC, Ms Dimmock said: 'They wanted to do a New Year's hike. They wanted to go from hut to hut throughout the Dolomites. 'They were planning on going off-grid, so that's not unexpected at all. 'I think they wanted to have some nights where they were out in nature and in fresh air and sleeping in the wild. They have all the gear and they've done hikes before. 'But they also wanted to get into the huts and have fires and drink red wine because it was New Year's, which they did do, because he did message me at one point and he was carrying a log up the mountain to one of the huts.' She added: 'I know they made it to the hut, and they were drinking red wine, but he said it was freezing.' She said she last spoke to Mr Ziriat at about 10.00am GMT on New Year's Day. 'He sent some photos of the mountains and a couple of himself,' she said. 'He said his phone was about to die but he would write back to me properly soon.' She said a few hours later, her messages were not being received by Mr Ziriat's phone. 'His phone had obviously died at that point, or he was out of range,' she said.
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Aziz Ziriat: Family 'heartbroken' after his body is found in Dolomites
The family of a London hiker who died on an Italian mountain range have said they are "heartbroken" after his body was discovered on Ziriat, 36, went missing while hiking in the Dolomites with his friend Sam Harris on New Year's remains were found by a specialist search team lying in a rocky crevice about 400m (1,300ft) below where Mr Harris's body was discovered almost five months Ziriat's family said: "Whilst we are relieved to have finally found him, there are no words to describe how heartbroken we are to lose our beloved Aziz." The family said the past few months had been "incredibly difficult for everyone who knew and loved him"."But we have been comforted by the overwhelming love we have received - we will be eternally grateful for everyone's support," they added. They also expressed "heartfelt thanks and deepest gratitude" to the alpine rescue team, the firefighters, police and volunteers who had "all worked tirelessly, in challenging and dangerous conditions" to find his family added: "Being with Aziz was to witness his deep connection with and appreciation of life. "He lived every moment with optimism, good humour and humility; he was, and still is, loved by so many." 'An incredible person' Mr Harris's body was discovered on 8 January. The friends had not been heard from since 1 January and they did not check in for their flight home on 6 last known location was near a mountain hut called Casina Dosson, close to the town of Tione Di Trento, near Riva Del Garda on Lake Ziriat's body was found on Saturday in the Passo di Conca area by specialist search teams including a canine unit, Trentino Alpine and Speleological Rescue confirmed.A spokesman said the rescuers "lowered themselves down the wall below the base of the slope, where the dog finally signalled the missing man's body in a rocky crevice, where it had been covered by snow".The Palace for Life Foundation - the official charity of Crystal Palace Football Club where Mr Ziriat worked - said they were "deeply saddened" by the news. In a statement the charity said: "Aziz was an incredible person with an infectious love for life. Throughout his time here Aziz formed close friendships throughout the local community. "He was a compassionate, kind and generous individual who brought warmth and positivity to everybody met. He is deeply missed by all of us here at Palace."
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Body found in search for ‘kind' Crystal Palace charity worker missing in Alps
A body has been found six months after a hiker closely tied to Crystal Palace FC went missing in the Italian mountains. Aziz Ziriat, 36, was discovered lying in a rocky crevice on Saturday, around 400m below where the body of his friend, Sam Harris, 35, had previously been found. The official Crystal Palace FC charity, Palace for Life, where Mr Ziriat worked as head of community engagement, said colleagues were 'profoundly sad' at his disappearance. The pair, who were both from London, went missing while hiking in January. Aziz Ziriat (left) and Sam Harris (right) (Image: Palace for Life)Mr Ziriat's body was found in the Passo di Conca area by specialist search teams including a canine unit, Trentino Alpine and Speleological Rescue confirmed. A spokesman said the rescuers 'lowered themselves down the wall below the base of the slope, where the dog finally signaled the missing man's body in a rocky crevice, where it had been covered by snow'. He said Mr Ziriat's family was immediately informed of the discovery. Mr Harris's body was discovered on January 8. The friends had not been seen or heard from since January 1 and did not check in for their flight home on January 6. READ MORE: Body found in search of missing Crystal Palace FC charity workers in Italy Their last known location was near a mountain hut called Casina Dosson, close to the town of Tione Di Trento, near Riva Del Garda on Lake Garda. Palace for Life previously described Mr Ziriat's 'real passion to make a difference'. It added: 'Aziz has not only been incredibly impactful in his role, but also a kind, compassionate and generous individual who brought positivity and warmth to everyone he has worked with.' Joe Stone, a university friend of Mr Ziriat, previously told the PA news agency that the pair were 'experienced hikers' who liked to go off the grid, but 'alarm bells were raised' when they failed to check in for their return flight.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Body found in search for British hiker (36) missing in Dolomites, search team says
Aziz Ziriat went missing while hiking in January ©Press Association The body of a British hiker who went missing in the Dolomites has been found, a search team in Italy said. Aziz Ziriat, 36, was discovered lying in a rocky crevice on Saturday, around 400m below where the body of his friend, Sam Harris, 35, had previously been found. Register for free to read this story Register and create a profile to get access to our free stories. You'll also unlock more free stories each week.
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Missing British hiker's body discovered after several months
The body of Aziz Ziriat, a 36-year-old British hiker who went missing five months ago, has been found in a rocky crevice in the Dolomites, Italy. Ziriat and his friend, Sam Harris, 35, both from London, disappeared while hiking in January; Harris's body was discovered on January 8. Search teams, including a canine unit, located Ziriat's body about 400m below where Harris was found, in the Passo di Conca area. Ziriat worked as head of community engagement for Crystal Palace FC's official charity, Palace for Life, who described him as a kind, compassionate, and impactful individual. A university friend noted that Ziriat and Harris were experienced hikers, but concerns arose when they missed their return flight after last being seen near Casina Dosson mountain hut. Body of British hiker finally found months after he went missing in Italy's Dolomites
